Differential gear.



W. MEN NEE. DIFFEIRENTIAL'GEAR.

APPUCAHON mu: AUG. H5, 2915.

2 $HEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented Dec: 19, 1916.

AW U MM ba sam is a central vertical section of one embodinnrrnn erenrich.

WILLIAM MENNIE, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGIiTOE-L 9F C NE-HALE TO CARLA.

FETTEG, 015 DETROIT, lli-ICHIGAN.

DIFFEREI-ITIAL GEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19,3.91fi.

Application filed August 16, 1915. Serial-No. 455?.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM Melanin,- a citizen of the Dominion ofCanada, resldmg Pockets 1 are formed at preferably regular intervals inthe Web, and differential pinions 15 are mounted in these pockets on atDetroit, in the county of Wayne and State -"the radial pins or bolts 16.These are enof Michigan, have invented a new and useful DifferentialGear, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to driving mechanism for the rear axles of motorvehicles, and its object. is to provide a device which will freelypermit relative rotation between two sections'of a driven axle or shaftwhen one tends to exceed the speed of the other, but which will restrainsuch relative movement when one tends to lag behind the other and bothare loaded.

This invention consists, in combination with a casing "into which thealined sections of a divided driven shaft extend and in which they arerevoluble independent of each. other, of a difierential bevel gearrevolubly mounted in the casing with its axis radially of the dividedshaft, a pair of opposed gear rings co-axially mounted in the casing,one on each side of the bevel'gear and each having lateral teeth to meshwith the bevel gear and also provided with internal teeth, and a gearingstructure for operatively connecting each ringwith the adgacent 886M011of the divided shaft. I

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 ment of this present invention.Fig. 2 is an elevation of. this structure with the end of the casingbroken away and also with a portion of the web of the casing broken awayto show a bevel gear. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of a modifiedform of this device. Fig. 4 is a section on the line H of Fig. 8.

Similar reference characters refer to like parts throughout the severalviews.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the differential gear constructionthere illustrated is mounted on the sections 1 and 2 of a divided shaft.Thefcasing consists of a web 3, cylindrical flanges and 5, and ends 6and 7 having hubs 8 which ends are connected to the-flanges e and 5 inany desired man ner. A radiahflange 9 may be formed on the flange 5 andpro ided with teeth 10 to enthe casing.

gaged by the lateral teeth 17 of the oppose gear rings 18, which alsohave internal teeth 19.

1 Shafts 21 are mounted at regular intervals in the web 3, and securedtherein, in any desired manner, locking pins 22 being shown. On theseshafts, and meshing with the internal teeth 19, are the idlers 23, beingheld would can 5 the idlers to revolve and with them, 1e rugs 18. But asthese mesh with the not" ential pinions 15, both rings cannot rotate insame direction, the rings 18 will therefore remain at rest and thesections 1 and 2 be driven by means of the shafts'EZ-l.

When a greater load is placed on one of theshaft sections than on theother, the tendency of one of the rings to revolve is greater than thatof the other and if there were no friction, the pinions 15 would freelyturn and permit the section with the greater load to remain at rest.

But because of the.

wedging action of substantially all gear,

teeth, any stresses between the gear rings 18 and pinlons 15 causesthese rings to be forced apart against the end plates 6 and 7. Theresult is that considerably more than one half of the turning stress isexerted on the section having the greater load, even when the othersection has but very littlev This proportion of stress on the load.loaded section can be increased by securing friction rings 30to theinner faces of the W hen one of the sections ofends (3 and 7. the drivenshaft runs freely and unloaded,

or attempts to run faster than the other,

as when the device is mounted onthe rear axle of an automobile and thevehicle is turning a corner, the friction between'the gear rings 18 andthe friction. rings 30. is

substantially negligible.

To hold the teeth of the pinion 3.1 and of and a roller on the each spurgear and the interned.

the ring 9 in perfect mesh, an arm 33 may be formed on the bearing 3&2of the shaf 12, pin 36 carried by this arm may bear against the hack ofthe ring 9 to prevent outward movement thereof, In case the teeth of thepinions 15 should strip, the rings 18 would revolve freely" and thesections 1 and 2 would remain stationary. To permit these sections to bedriven nnder these circumstances, maybe formed on the ends 6 and 7 andbe provided with screw plugs 39 in which the stems 4 0 are slidablc'.The heads il on these stems may be forced into proper notches in therings 18 by the springs 42 and thus lock the parts together. These stemsare not positioned until after the accident occurs.

One of they principal advantages of this construction, and of theconstruction shown in Figs. 3 and i, is that there are no endwisestresses on the sections 1 and 2 of the shaft. All the endwise -stressesare taken care of by the casing and by the friction rings 30.

In the construction-s shown in Figs. and 4, the web &8 has flanges M andthe ends d6 and 4;? are secured, The pins 01" bolts 16, pinions 15thereon, gear rings 18 having teeth 1T and W 9 termed 07 on the casingand having teeth 10 engaged by the pinion 11 on. the shaft '12, the,inction rings 50 placed back of the gear rings, the hubs 38, the plugs39, the stems 4.0 having heads 41 and the springs may be the same asbefore described.

Mounted on the web .in. any desired manner, al'etne gears i i-S, a oin49 shown to hold them. in -oosition. 5 mesh with these gears and withthe internal teeth of the gear 18. These idlci's are mounted on pinscarried by the disks 53, and these disks have hubs are secured to thesections 1 and 2, if desired, the ends 4L6 and t? may have hubs that arejournaled on the hubs 542;. forms of casing, the ends and cylindricalflanges may he provided with ears 5'! through which'shoi't bolts 58extend to secure the parts together,

I claimz' 1. In a differential gear, the combination with the adjacentends of a divided shaft, of a case consisting of a circular central web,cylindrical flanges extending in both directions from the periphery ofsaid web, and end plates secured to said flanges, a bevel gear mountedin a pocket in said Web with its axis radial to said shaft, a pair ofgear rings within the casing, one on each side of shaft and havinglateral teeth meshing with the teeth of said bevel pinion and aisohaving internal teeth, a spur gear secured to section ci' thedivided-shaft, an idiot" pinion with the etc to which In both I insane?mounted thercom'a rcvoluble bevel gear mounted in said case with itsaxis radial to said shaft, a paii of parallel. gear rings within thecasing, one on eachside of thehevel gear and meshing therewith, saidrings having internal teeth, idler pinions meshing with said internalteeth, supports for said pinions rigidly mounted in the case, and a spurgear on the adjacent end of each section of the divided shaftnvith whichsaid idler pinions engage.

3. In the differential gear, the combination with the adjacent ends of adivided shaft, a casing mounted thereon, a revoiuble bevel gear mountedin said casing with its axis radial to said shaft, a pair of coaxialgear rings within said casing, one on each side ofthe bevel gear andmeshing therewith, said rings having internal teeth, an idler pinionmeshing with said internal teeth of each gear ring, means to supportsaid pinions, a spur gear mounted concentric with "he ends of eachsection oi the divided shaft and meshing with the adjacent idler pinion,and means to revolve the casing.

i. In a difierential gear, the combination with the adjacent ends of adivided shaft, a casing mounted thei'eon, means to revolve the casing, arevoluble bevel gear mounted in said casing with its axis radial to saidshaft, a pair of co-axial gear rings mounted within the casing, one oneach side of the bevel gear and meshing therewith, a friction ringmounted within the casing in alinement with each gear ring and againstwhich ring may he niressed by the bevel gear when the casing revolvedunder stress, said rings also being provided with internal teeth, a spurgear on the adjacent end of each shaft in the same plane with one of thegear rings, an idler pinion meshing with each gear ring and'the spurgear in the same plane therewith, and means mounted on'the case toi'evoluhly support the idlen I;

5. in a diiierential gear, the coinhication with the adjacent ends of adivided shaft, a casing mounted thereon, means to revolve the casing, arevolu'ble bevel gear mounted in said casing with its axis radial tosaid shaft, a pair of coaxial gear rings mounted within the casing, oneon each side of the bevel gear and meshing therewith, a friction ringmounted Within the casing in alinement with each gear" ring and against"which said gear ring may be pressed by the bevel gear when the casing isrevolved under steess, said rings also being provided withinternal'teeth, a spin" gear mounted concenti'ically the ai acent end oieach secsaid gear tion of thgfdivided shaft in the same plane with onegear in the same plane therewith, means to support the idler pinions,and means foroperatively connecting the spur gears, idler vpinions andshaft sections. Y

6. In a difi'erential gear, the combination with the adjacent ends of adivided shaft, a casing mounted thereon, means to revolve the casing, arevoluble bevel gear mounted in said casing with its axis radial to saidshaft, a pair of co-axial gear rings mounted within the casing, one oneach side 'of the bevel gear and meshing therewith, said rings alsobeing provided vwith internal teeth, a spur gear mounted concentricallywith the adjacent end of each section of the divided J shaft in the same'plane with one of the gear rings, an idler pinion meshing with each 0the gear rings, an idler pinion v meshing with eachgear ring and thespur 7 In adiiferential gear, the combination with the adjacent alinedends of a divided shaft, a driving member revoluble relative to saidshafts and pins carried thereby parallel to said shafts, revolublepinions on said pins, a. gear secured to the end of one of said shaftsand meshing with said pinions, an interior gear mounted concentric withsaid shafts and meshing with the pinions on said pins that mesh with thegear on said shaft, and means to operatively connect said internal gearto the other shaft. 7

In testimony whereof I sign this specification.

WILLIAM MENN IE.

